Home For Thanksgiving...And it's alright. Really.

For the past ten years or so I've not really had a Thanksgiving (or even Xmas)holiday (read, rest) vacation...I've had to drive here or there to set up and sell my artworks. Blue Genie and Eye of the Dog in Austin and San Marcos, Texas and the past couple of years, the Little Craft Show here in NW Arkansas. This year, due to many reasons; I'm still here in NW Arky.  I didn't get picked for the Little Craft Show, haven't done Blue Genie in a few years because I moved, and my cat got sick, my back is bad and I'm exhausted from my work schedule.  But mostly the cat getting sick threw me over the edge, so I cancelled my annual trip to Austin where I usually have turkey with friends and then spend the weekend in San Marcos, selling and hanging out.  At first the possibility of not going was so strange and foreign I didn't even want to consider it. My younger self would've said, "Oh what the hell, just go and get through it!" Now that I'm somewhat older and maybe just a little bit wiser I thought, "Well, what's the worst thing that could happen if I don't go?" And that's when I realized that while I will and do miss my friends/family there, I'll live, they'll live and I can drive down another time, when I can really spend a good focused visit. It's nice to be relaxing, eating, working on a bazillion pet portrait commissions that need to be done before xmas. It's a good life. I do have some small scratchboard trinkets and art pieces at the Walton Arts Center gallery here in Fayetteville during the holiday season. The gallery is open one hour before events/shows until December 23rd. There are 20+ other artists there with pottery, paintings, jewelry etc... It's a good show, and the best part about it is they do all the selling and smoozing. There is an artist reception this Saturday from 2-5pm. I will clean up and go mingle.  I also have many little pieces of art that were destined to go to Texas to sell...contact me to see/buy them. That's it. The above piece of art is a mixed-media piece from my "Little Houses" series. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope my cat gets better soon. I hope y'all had plenty to eat and good times wherever you spend your turkey day.

Goals Set and Met. Now What?

Two For The Road

It's already been quite an eventful year in Linda-Land just four months in. Chock-a-block full of ups, downs, and ins and outs. I just reached my 60th year with mixed feelings so I thought a look back might help me make a little sense of it all.
I'd set a few goals for myself in 2014, one being that I didn't want to enter my 60's overweight so I set about to loosing around forty pounds, and fortunately did it. Everything feels better now, although I'd like to have ten more pounds gone by mid-summer. Small goal, but a goal nonetheless.
Another goal, and you might think me silly for having this, was, along with the weight loss I wanted to be able to fit into a pair of jeans that had belonged to my dad, by the anniversary of his death on Jan. 26th. Eleven years ago I was back in Indiana helping to care for him when he was dying. I hadn't packed many clothes because I wasn't sure how long I would be there. I flew in Xmas eve,stayed until the first week in Feb. and had gotten really tired of wearing the same things everyday, so dad offered a pair of his pants to me. They fit and I got a little change of wardrobe to take my mind off of the saddness. After he died I took them with me and put them away. Due to some side affects from the anti-depressants I took after returning home from this life changing event, I put on some weight...and then ballooned up to a really health damaging weight.
Two somewhat related goals were set and then met. As I said in the title, now what?
A dear friend fell down the stairs and broke her ankle badly Dec. 28th and then four days later on Jan. 1, her husband, another dear friend of mine, died. I've been renting a living/studio space from them since May; after knowing them several years and working on two art books with him, it made perfect sense to me to do my best to help her recover, not only from the physical injury, but from the emotional loss. Doing this has also helped me to deal with my own grief. I've stayed busy enough to stay a few steps ahead of it.
Just recently I got back to making some artwork...little scratchboards, mostly rv's or trailers to satisfy my desire to someday own one and hit the road like a nomad. I'm also revisiting the mixed-media 'little house' series. There are a few examples shown here. I hope to sell a lot of them at the spring version of The Little Craft Show here in Northwest Arkansas. It's May 30, downtown Springdale. One day only. I'll add more information later as the date comes closer. It promises to be a great sale.

Oh yeah, I also got a new car. After almost forty years of owning trucks of one kind or another...I got a little suv. You might say, "what got into you?" Oh hell, who knows? It was a reality check of sorts, I had an older truck with 218,000 miles on it and plenty of expensive future repairs just waiting to happen. The money I'd been saving for an RV was there and willing to be spent. My days of hauling tools and lumber around are pretty much over, so a truck is less important to me than it once was.
So, here I am. Wanting to get through the memorial service for my friend on the 26th, really hoping that all will begin to heal. There's a goal worth having, mentioning, and reaching.
 What's next? Art, of course, always. And staying right where I am for a bit until I figure it all out. Keeping the weight off, would be good, of course. Mostly I do a little work and thinking about all of this everyday, so I figure I'll come up with something. If not, at least I've been working and thinking.

One more thing; I need to get some commission work going and so I'm officially declaring April half-off month for pet and people portraits. If you've ever wanted one of my scratchboard interpretations of your pets or people, now's the time to jump in and book them. Normally a 5"x 7" framed scratchboard is $150.00. All of April they are $75.00, including shipping unless you're out of the US and then the shipping is extra. So give me a holler and I'll get started on your custom drawing.

Holy Thank The Chicken Gods, I have Health Insurance Now!

After a confusing start at the Healthcare.gov site I am enrolled and now have coverage. You better believe I'm heading to the Doctor office this week to get checked and schedule some tests I've been putting off.  Once you've had cancer (and I had the 'easy' type of thyroid) every ache and pain becomes 'suspect'. Without insurance I have had to just suck it up and hope everything is alright in there. I'm so happy right now. Bliss, I won't have to go bankrupt from an illness. Here we are in one of the richest countries in the world and folks like me worry about these things. And I am not the poorest of the poor by any stretch. I have a house, truck and I'm warm and well-fed. But I'm an artist and being that means that it's feast or famine with sales for much of the time. I had a good end of the year with commissions and sales so I'm grateful. I am by no stretch of the imagination a 'slacker', I've worked hard all of my life to be productive. Whether it's fixing houses, or making art, it's something I push, push, push at everyday. It seems like people always say, "Oh, I love art", but when it comes to supporting the artists who create it, they don't make the connection or understand that it means PAYING the artists. So I ask you, not just for myself, rather than buying some imported print at a big box store, find an artist you like and ask them to make something in your price range. Trust me, most of us will work with you to make you happy. And good golly, promoting the arts, and buying our work will make us happy too.
I'm working on the Kickstarter Chicken Scratchin' project and dang it is fun. Last night Cindy Jo, Jan Van and Teresa and I recorded an original chicken song for the video soundtrack. We are not Hollywood, or Nashville but we sure had a hoot and a holler doing it. Stay tuned for that to launch Jan 20 and run through March. I'll also be doing another one of my 'Big Art Giveaway' things at my facebook page Linda Sheets Art. Check it out, like the page, and check in around Jan. 20. The artwork goes quickly. All I ask is shipping/packing charges and that you donate dollars to a shelter.
Ok, over and out for now.

Let The Art Fly Out The Door.

The above, "Big Black-Bird" is available, for free, for the next 36 hours. It's early Linda scratchboard with acrylic work, 16"x20". If you want it, go to my facebook page Linda Sheets Art and first, like my page and then like this photo and say, "Hell yes, Linda, I want this!" If you don't want this piece you can still like my page, ya dig?You will pay for packaging and shipping, simple as that. I'm clearing out the old so I can continue to make new. The thing about this is it's a fun walk down the path leading to where I am today. This is from 2008 (I think) and while I'm so much better/different with my technique now, it does give me some perspective. Would I rather be selling art? Of course, and I am selling newer stuff. I'm just of the mind that either it should go to someone who will appreciate it or it must go to the dumpster. (I'm not going to be storing or carting these things around forever) So I'll be posting these free-bees until I run out of old work that needs a home. Mostly around noon, but don't hold me to that, because I might get a wild hair and put up two or three a day.
I love seeing these go out the door. A couple stopped by today to get the "Monkey Stack" and I'm glad they got it because they love it.  They were kind of shy about asking for it online...please, don't be shy, these are first come, first served and I really mean it.
And if you're worried about me getting rid of these, don't be. I love making the art, but when a piece is done, I'm done with it and would much rather have it be gone than just hanging around. That's how the process works for me.
The other request I have is, if you do take one of these pieces, please make a donation to your local animal shelter. Whatever amount you can give, and I don't need verification, we're on the honor system here.

Free Art--Yes Free

I've been spending some time cleaning out my studio in preparation for the next big adventure. Currently I have a heap of large and small art that is old work just sitting or hanging around and I am ready to heave it out the door. I started yesterday on facebook and have already given one away. So starting today until I'm finished I will be posting at least one if not two pieces of artwork at my facebook page Linda Sheets Art. You can go there to see what's currently on the way out. And for the love of crap, like my page while you're at it. I don't know what benefit that is to me, but everyone seems to be doing it for some reason or another, and god knows I like to be liked.
Here are some rules:
*You will pay for packaging and shipping. If you don't have the money for this, obviously don't say you want a piece of artwork. If you are in Fayetteville, AR or Austin, TX we can arrange for pickup...so it will really be free--free for y'all.
*The artwork will be available for 36 hours (give or take a few) and then, if there are  no takers it going in the dumpster
*If you've already snagged one piece from this give-away, hold back and let someone else get one
*You must give the art a good home...but knowing that I can't control your behavior and the destiny of the art after it leaves me at least know that I retain full copyright to the piece.
Ok, let the games begin! I appreciate you helping me lighten my load and hope that my art makes you happy. If you don't see something you like, for crying out loud, commission something. I'm fast and not too expensive. This is how I make my living...and while giving it away may not make much sense, I can't take it with me when I'm on the road (or when dead) and I don't want to take up the space in the storage unit. Plus, and I know a lot of artists who agree with me here, if it hangs around me unsold I feel strange about creating new art. It's a mental thing...and I want to continue creating new...so out the door with it.

Art Sale At The Fayetteville Underground

Tonight (1st Thursday) there will be a huge art sale going on at The Fayetteville Underground from 5-8. All or most of the artists there will be slashing prices on their work.  It's a great time to be an art buyer!  The above piece is an box assemblage from my earlier body of work(2006-7).  It's "Alice, The Dark Side(drink up)".  Previous price $150.00.  Tonight's price $75.00.  I used a variety of vintage papers, paints and wood in creating this piece. There are also a number of scratchboard and mixed media works in my studio that will be half price.  Hope y'all can stop by and help us celebrate the Underground, on this, our last 1st Thursday in this space, as this organization.  Stay tuned, we are moving on to bigger and better things as the 'Fayetteville Arts Alliance'.